Extra paramedics to boost SA ambulance service

The number of paramedics in South Australia will be boosted in a bid to meet growing demand.

The SA Government will spend $4 million annually to employ an additional 34 paramedics.

Health Minister Jack Snelling said demand for ambulance services had increased by an average of 8 per cent annually for the past five years.

"It'll mean on a normal busy day we'll have about nine extra paramedics working across a shift and that'll mean better and quicker services for South Australians," he said.

Kevin Driscoll of the SA Ambulance Service welcomed the boost.

"It will help us with our response times, it will also help us ensure that our crews get the meal breaks that they're entitled to on-time because at the moment we're under pressure during the busiest part of the day which is when they're due to have their meal breaks," he said.